Airline Pilot Charged After Attempt To Smuggle Cocaine Sends Him To Hospital

A smuggled balloon of cocaine burst inside a commercial airline pilot’s stomach during a flight on Saturday, landing him in the hospital.

Pilot Stanley Rafael Hill, of McKinney, Texas, was traveling as a passenger on the 5-hour flight from Colombia to Houston and had to call 911 shortly after he landed and checked into a hotel, the Daily Mail reported.

The 49-year-old was still recovering at Memorial Hermann Northeast Hospital on Tuesday, where he was treated for poisoning before passing the rest of the cocaine bags.

It may have been easier for him to get through security with the drugs since pilots are not subjected to the same cavity checks as the other passengers.

A source close to the investigation told the news station that one of the drug sacks inside of Hill’s stomach had ruptured during the flight, but he was only able to call for help when he landed at George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

Hill has been charged with felony possession of drugs with intent to deliver, and is recuperating in a hospital room guarded by a police officer.

It is not yet known which airline Hill, who is certified to fly a 737, works for but his family told NBC 5 that it is a small regional air carrier and that he is a father of two.